


Sudden Bends in The River of Time

by aerpocket2020



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Artist Steve Rogers, Bearded Steve Rogers, F/M, First Crush, Fluff and Smut, Random & Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:33:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24807817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerpocket2020/pseuds/aerpocket2020
Summary: Sharon carries a torch for Steve most of her adult life.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers
Comments: 31
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

Sharon has just turned 15 and is so into her aunt's boyfriend, it's humiliating.

Steve is so nice.

so polite.

so utterly devastating.

Jesus, she thinks as he laughs into his fork across from her at something Peggy says, if Peggy doesn't marry him I'll do it myself.

And then she's turning a bright shade of red at the very thought.

Steve is the first boyfriend Peggy brings home from DC to Virginia to meet her only living family of a much older brother, sister-in-law and niece.

Sharon spends the whole summer swinging between utter despair and elation.

Despair because watching him be so touchy and doting on Peggy makes her feel ill.

(But also guilty because she doesn't actually want to take lust after Peggy’s Steve.)

Elation because weeeeell it's summer.

It's summer.

And it's hot.

And Steve mostly just wears these thin white t-shirts.

Or lounges by the pool with Peggy...

Shirtless.

Her and Nat are trudging home from softball practise one evening when he waves at them from the porch standing beside Peggy.

"Motherfucker," Nat says because it's the first time she's actually seen him up close and had assumed that Sharon had been exaggerating how hot Steve was. 

"If Peggy doesn't marry this guy I will." Nat hisses into her ear as the two girls hurry up the path in time for dinner and closer to Peggy and Apollo the Sun God.

After dinner, when they've both showered and changed and lounging in Sharon's bed together Nat gives her a sly grin and says, "We need to ask your aunt if he's good in the sack."

"Excuse me!"

Natasha raises both eyebrows. "What? There's gotta be something wrong with him. No one that good-looking is that nice a guy. I mean, it doesn't make sense.”

“We are not asking Peggy that.” Sharon says firmly. 

In the end, Nat does ask Peggy exactly that. 

They’re about a month into summer. And Peggy has taken them out to the cliff to watch the fireworks over the town after sneaking both girls their first couple of beers. 

Sharon is absolutely mortified when Natasha does, but Peggy nearly doubles over laughing. 

“Are you serious?” Peg wheezes clutching her stomach. 

“Deadly,” Natasha says. “You need to tell us he’s as good as he looks.”

“Well he’s great,” Peg grins and even Sharon can’t help cracking a small smile. “Sweet and...attentive.”

They spend the rest of the night talking about Steve. Where they met. What he and Peggy did on their first date. 

And the end of the night on their drive home Sharon has the horrible sinking feeling that she’d never going to meet her own Steve. 

There’s only one Steven Rogers. 

And he’s hopelessly in love with Peggy. 

A few weeks later its Steve’s last night with them. 

He’s due back at Washington for whatever it is hunky army captains do. He and Peggy clutching at each other at the gate while Sharon watches. 

It’s the first and last time Sharon sees him in uniform and it’s almost too sexy to bear.

Still.

Sharon’s sad Peggy has to say goodbye to Steve. 

It's also the last time Sharon actually sees Steve in person. It’s twelve years before she runs into him again. 

At Peggy’s wedding of all places. 

Marvel why you do us Staron shippers dirty like this?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bearded Steve is such a snack! Like, don't even at me!

It’s a gorgeous weekend in the Italian countryside when Peggy marries Daniel Sousa. 

Sharon, as her maid of honour, carries Peggy’s 2-year-old son Eric down the aisle. 

Later at the reception, Sharon slips off her shoes after having danced with her parents, Peggy and new uncle Daniel and makes her way to the bar for a third glass of champagne. 

She’s planning on spending the rest of the week bumming around Italy after the wedding. Her parents are taking Eric with them back to the states so after the reception so Daniel and Peggy can have a honeymoon to themselves. 

Sharon has been looking forward to this week for months. Her job at the public defender’s office is mostly files and backrooms and disappointment. It’s nice to be out in the Mediterranean sunshine. 

Her eyes are glued to her cellphone when she turns away from the bar with a flute of champagne in one hand. 

So She doesn’t notice the man until she bumps into him hard enough that champagne drenches the front of his dark navy suit and even some of his dark blonde beard. 

“I’m so sorry!” She immediately grabs a few paper napkins from the bar and pushes them at him. 

“It’s alright,” Steve Rogers says taking them from her with a smile that’s everything genuine. “I like champagne.”

But Sharon has barely heard him. 

BECAUSE IT’S STEVE!!!!!

Blonde bombshell Captain Steve Rogers. 

Oh my God!

What’s he doing here?! 

And holy hell does that beard and slightly longer hair _work_ for him. 

Because he’s absolutely-

“-delicious.” Sharon finds herself blurting out. 

Steve’s eyebrows furrow. “I’m sorry?”

“What I meant was,” She says that part a little louder than intended mostly to herself. “I think we’ve met.”

_Oh nice, Sharon. Real nice!_

“We have?” There’s a small quizzical smile on his face. 

“Um yes Captain Rogers,” she says trying to get her breathing under control. “You were visiting Peggy and stayed at our-”

“Harrison’s daughter! ” He blurts suddenly nodding, blue eyes wide in recognition. “Sharon! Jeez, I didn’t even recognise you. How’ve you been?”

“Good. I’ve been good Captain Rogers.”

“Oh no, it’s just Steve now. Got out a few years back.” He tugs at his collar in a self-conscious gesture Sharon actually remembers. “Actually now that I’ve run into you maybe you could help me find Peggy and Daniel. I’ve turned up late as it is. And can’t really find my way through all these people.”

“Sure!” Sharon says brightly and proceeds to lead him away from the bar. 

Peggy is thrilled to see him. Sharon had no idea the two were still friends. 

And close friends if the way her uncle Daniel had hugged him was any indication. 

At any rate, Sharon is thrilled to see him. He’s even sexier than she remembers. One of those men who get better looking the older they get and her memories of him don’t hold a candle to seeing him standing in front of her. 

In the flesh. 

Okay, maybe she still has a crush on him. 

Maybe. 

She decides to leave the couple and Steve engrossed in conversation and makes her way back to the dance floor. 

She’s standing at the edge of the floor mingling with friends and family when a flute of champagne appears in her peripheral vision. 

“Here,” Steve says smiling. “You didn’t end up getting that drink you wanted earlier.”

“Thank you.” She says grinning back and taking it from him. His eyes are very blue she notices with him this close. So blue. So- oh what the hell! 

“So are you going to ask me to dance?” She says sipping her champagne with an impish smile. 

Steve’s eyes widen and for a minute Sharon is concerned she might’ve misread things. 

“Well,” he says, sort of huskily, ducking his head and smiling at her from under his eyelashes. “I was going to wait until you’d finished your drink but if now is good…”

“Oh it’s good,” Sharon says sticking her almost untouched glass on a nearby table, even startling him a little. “Now is very good.”

She’s not sure who leads who to the middle of the dance floor. All she knows is that one of Steve’s big hands is pressed into the small of her back and he smells like something clean and classic. 

They get a few more drinks together as the evening wears on and the music slows. By the time the last slow song is playing Steve has tugged her close enough that she can see the tiny flecks of green in his blue eyes. 

Sharon tells him about her job and Steve confesses rather sheepishly that he’s actually living in Italy right now.

“Sounds like an adventure,” she says, eyes sparkling. “What’ve you been doing here?”

He turns bright red, “Having a mid-life crisis.”

Sharon throws her head back and laughs so loud that a couple of people turn to stare. 

“Well, how’s it going?”

“Okay, I guess. I’ve been doing a little photography. Just to pay the bills.”

“Huh.”

“Is that a good ‘huh’?”

“It’s a surprised ‘huh’”, Sharon grins. “You seem like such a straight-laced guy. Who knew there was this bohemian artist underneath.”

“Please don’t say that,” Steve groans. “I am nowhere near cool enough or young enough to think of myself that way. It’s just a hobby.”

Sharon is really enjoying herself, being pressed tight together like this. And he’s fun to talk to. But the reception is winding down. She finds she’s not ready to say goodbye to him. 

“Can I see it?”

“See what?” 

“Your photography.”

“Oh.” His cheeks turn a delicate shade of pink. She wants to lean up and kiss them...then drag him to the floor and tear his clothes from his body. “How about tomorrow? Are you staying nearby? We could meet for breakfast.”

She makes a disappointed little face at him. “Breakfast? But that’s hours away.”

His blush turns beet red. “Well-well we could go now? Maybe? If that’s okay. I mean-I don’t. My place isn’t far from here.” He looks out of breath when he’s done and Sharon loves how adorable he is. Even though he’s an ex-army vet who’s seen god only knows how many horrors. 

“Why don’t you go wait outside for me and I’ll say goodbye to Peggy and Daniel.” 

“Yes, Ma’am,” he says, voice low and a little gruff. 

Sharon makes a point of purposely sliding one hand down his shoulder to his abdomen when he slips out of her arms to do as she says. 

Peggy and Daniel have matching smug smiles when she finds them. They clearly know what’s been going on. 

“I’m leaving.” She tells them with a big grin. “If my parents ask where I am, tell them I went back to my hotel and I’ll see them back in New York.” 

“Sharon darling” Peggy smiles, “have you been planning this since you were a teenager?”

“Hey!” Sharon says wiggling a finger at Peggy. “You already had your shot with Captain Underwear Model.” 

“Alright doll”, Daniel chuckles. “Have fun. And don’t hurt the poor guy.” 

She hugs each of them in turn and leaves the venue with a horde of butterflies in her stomach. 

There’s a cobblestone staircase that leads out of the venue into the streets of Azzano. Steve is waiting for her at the bottom of those stairs. Shadowed but the broadness of his shoulders clearly defined in the moonlight. 

When she’s close enough he slips an arm around her waist and dips his head to kiss her and Sharon responds eagerly. Pressing up on her tiptoes so his mouth presses against hers just right. 

She can’t resist sliding her hands into his jacket and around his waist. And offers zero resistance when he touches the tip of his tongue to the seam of her lips. 

This kiss is a surprise certainly, but not an unwelcome one.

And over before she really has a chance to really get into it. 

“Sorry,” he says drawing back and cupping the nape of her neck like some old Hollywood hero. “I just couldn’t resist.” He’s breathing pretty hard, they both are, and if there were more light Sharon is pretty sure she would see his pupils are blown large. 

She gives him a completely serious look. “We better hurry. You promised to show me those photographs you’ve been taking.”

He draws away from her but doesn’t let go of her hand. He’s tugging her gently down a corner street when Sharon says, just to be clear. “The photography thing was totally a line by the way.” 

Steve lets out a hearty chuckle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know! I know! I need to work on Lady Antebellum!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My dudes! I present Chapter 3! Also slight change in plans. What was supposed to be a 3 parter will now be a 4 parter with a small epilogue. thank you, everyone, who commented and read. I confess that I had hit a little wall with "lady antebellum" and this helped me get back into my Sharon and Steve rhythm. Also, I can't believe Chris Evans is 39! 
> 
> Also, in this chapter! The rating has been raised. It is no longer safe for people under 18 (Idk, maybe).

In the weeks after Peggy and Steve’s visit, Sharon had gone back to high school and real-life reluctantly. 

She missed Peggy horribly. Having her around was more like having an older sister at home. She’d admired her so much. 

She hadn’t actually wanted Steve for herself back then. 

Okay, maybe she did. 

But not  _ really. _

It was more like she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have a man like that love  _ her _ the way he’d loved Peggy. 

She thought about him off and on over the months that would follow. Heard endless stories about him from Peggy who, Sharon had no idea, knew exactly how her niece felt about him. 

And then a couple of years ago Steve had done something very brave or very stupid depending on who you asked. 

Sharon never exactly found out what he’d done on that op abroad but would put good money on the former. No one’s moral compass pointed true north the way he did. 

Truth be told as the years passed she’d forgotten details about what he looked like. She did, however, remember what a good man he was. 

But it certainly didn’t hurt that the packaging was so nice. The beard making his clean-cut features a little more rugged. His eyes and mouth, though, still had something soft and vulnerable about them. 

She smiles to herself when he leads her up a flight of stairs of a one-story building. She can’t believe this is actually happening.

“I apologise in advance”, he says dropping her hand, but only because the apartment’s lock is ancient-looking and needs two hands to open. “I’ve been living out of a suitcase and I’m not much of a decorator.” 

“That’s okay. Neither am I.” She says following him into the one-bedroom apartment with a small living room and tiny attached kitchen. 

“I’ve been here about a year,” he says leading her to a small comfy looking sofa set with one hand on her lower back. “The lady who owns the bistro downstairs was nice enough to rent it to me for next to nothing.”

“I like your apartment,” Sharon says grinning up at him from her seat on the sofa. “It’s very homey. Very you.”

“Thanks,” The deep blush is back on his face and he’s tucked both hands into the pockets of his dress pants like he’s nervous. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

“I’d love one.” What she actually wants is for him to carry her to the small wrought iron sleigh bed she can see from where she’s sitting and make love to her right this very moment. But decides he needs to do something to take the edge off. 

Peggy had once said that although he was always a good boyfriend his initial attempts with women were always a little dorky. 

Sharon thinks she doesn’t particularly care as she watches him find a corkscrew and then pour each of them a glass of red wine. 

“So what’s your plan right now?” he asks, joining her on the sofa and handing her the glass. “Planning on seeing more of Italy?”

“Absolutely.” Sharon nods, sipping her wine. “I’m staying in Azzano for a couple of days. Then maybe Rome or Venice.”

“That sounds nice.” 

They lapse into comfortable silence right then. Sharon’s aware that they’re both sorts of smiling at each other like dopes. 

“Erm. You said you wanted to see some of my photos.”

Sharon sets her glass down firmly on the little coffee table. “I’d love to, but maybe that can wait. You know. Until after breakfast.”

“Can it?” 

“Mmmhmm,” She kneels up on the sofa and scoots closer to him so she can take his face in both her hands, draw his mouth closer to hers. “But right now you really really should kiss me because I’ve been thinking about this all night.”

“So have I,” Steve replies, voice husky and clearly aroused.

They make out like a couple of teenagers on prom night with Sharon in his lap until Steve sort of gently draws her away. Sharon wants to ask what’s wrong but Steve beats her to it by confessing he can’t find the zipper of her dress. 

Sharon laughs. “There isn’t one.”

“Well, then how do I get you out of it?” 

It’s one of those dresses that she only has to knot on the back of the neck to make stay up so she draws his hands to her nape and tells him to loosen the thick knot he can feel. His clever fingers manage to undo it in a matter of seconds. 

The minute it falls away from her torso his eyes widen and his mouth open a little. 

“Steve,” She sighs pleadingly, “Please take me to bed. I can’ take this anymore. I want you too damn much.”

That is evidently the right thing to say because he stands abruptly with her wrapped around him and backs her into his bedroom, kissing her lips and any bare skin he can find. 

By the time he deposits her on the bed she’s only in a pair of very lacy (very damp) panties and Steve has lost his shirt. They help each other get completely naked but Steve doesn’t join her immediately on the bed, choosing instead to kneel beside it and torture her some more. 

He grabs both her thighs and drags her closer to his mouth in an impressive show of strength that makes her squeak. 

The sight of his blonde head between her legs is too much to bear really so she screws her eyes shut. 

The feeling itself is incredible though. His tongue laves her clit slowly at first, getting her worked up. And Sharon can’t help but pant and moan and tighten her legs although the bristles of his beard are probably going to scratch her thighs up real good.

If that weren’t bad enough he starts to moan like  _ he’s  _ the one enjoying himself and Sharon has to scream because the vibrations tease her over-sensitive little clit to the point of madness. 

“Steve!” She says feverishly now trying to grab at his blonde hair (to push him away or pull him closer she’s not sure). “ _ Steve please!”  _

“It’s alright, gorgeous” he whispers against her, loud enough for her to hear. “I’ve got you.”

And then he’s thrust his tongue inside her and Sharon sees stars. She can’t stop the warmth of the orgasm that rolls through her and slumps boneless on the bed still twitching; as Steve withdraws, crawling up the bed and kissing her hip, belly button and sucking each of her nipples in turn before dipping his head to kiss her mouth explicitly it probably counted as sex. 

“ _ Christ!”  _ Sharon hisses when he pulls back and drops his forehead against hers. “That was incredible. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” Steve grins. “I loved doing that. _ You’re _ incredible when you come.”

Sharon fixes him with a small smile. “Are you?”

Steve shifts directly over her in response and she parts her thighs to cradle him against her. He jams both of his hands under her back so he's holding her close but won’t crush her. 

“I don’t know,” he whispers, dipping his mouth against hers in a way that makes her shudder. “Let’s find out.”

Sharon decides right then and there when his hips sink into hers and the old bed and mattress start to rock in a rough rhythm, that this is the best vacation ever. 

“Oh  _ fuck. _ ” Steve whispers in her ear and Sharon sort of nods stupidly in agreement even though he can't see her. 

_ Oh fuck,  _ indeed, she thinks as she glides her hands along his muscular back and over his butt cheeks. 

Oh okay, this is a nice butt. 

She’s so telling all her friends about how cute his butt is. 

She's still thinking about his butt when heat pours through them both and suddenly Sharon can’t breathe. 

When his hips stop moving Steve moves them both so he can lay against the pillows with Sharon draped across his chest.

Her heart is pounding so hard she barely hears him asking her something. 

“Hmm?”

“I said,” Steve says, chuckling a little. “Which friends are you planning to tell about my butt.”

Sharon's head shoots up to stare at Steve. “I said that out loud?”

“Well, yeah,” Steve says blushing hard, suddenly. “You kind of shouted it. Ya know...towards the end.”

“Oh, God!” Sharon groans burying her face in his sweaty chest. “I’ve got such a big mouth.”

“You really do,” Steve says managing to somehow drag the blankets over them both. He runs his big hands up and down her back in a soothing motion that immediately makes her begin to doze. “I kind of love it though.”

“You do?”

“Uh-huh,” Steve says, turning off the bedside lamp and cuddling her against himself in the darkness. “And you can tell all your friends about my butt as long as I can tell mine about your boobs and legs.”

Sharon has to laugh. “Deal.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this might not be the right place for this, but I really needed a win. Before this whole Covid situation I'd been planning a trip to Italy. Of course, that didn't happen. It was supposed a little treat for myself because all I really do is work and I'm in the kind of profession where alot of what I've accomplished is overlooked because it's the kind of job where other people are supposed to benefit from me with little to no thanks in return. I never had time to think about this before the quarantine situation but I realised that the last few years, even before the pandemic, had been really kicking my ass. It's just been disappointment after disappointment. In my career, my love life... God even my friendships. And I've been trying really hard to push this stuff away and keep going but its been so much harder lately.  
> But lately I've actually discovered my love for reading and writing all over again too. And that's partly in thanks to all of you writers and readers on here. You've all probably got problems and obstacles in your own life but you still put out such great writing...put out such great parts of yourselves.  
> So this chapter is for you guys. All you commenters and writer and anonymous readers who left kudos.  
> 

**Chapter 4**

Sharon’s thinks sex with Steve almost isn’t as good as waking up beside him. 

She can’t gaze at her sleeping Adonis too long though because her bladder is killing her. So she quietly slides out of the bed pulling on one of his t-shirts she finds draped over a chair and heads to the bathroom. 

By the time she comes back out the bed is empty. So she sticks her head out of the bedroom door and finds Steve already dressed and putting on his shoes. 

“Hey,” she says with a little pout. “Why don’t you come back to bed?” 

“I’m going to go around the corner for some breakfast.” He says reaching for the front doorknob. “And don’t you dare disappear while I’m gone.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Sharon says as she watches him open the door. 

“Good”, he says, eyes travelling heatedly up her body. “And don’t put your clothes back on either.”

She gives him a very sexy smile. “Yes, Sir.” 

_ Oh boy,  _ she thinks, slightly giddy, when Steve leaves,  _ I’m not going to end up seeing much of Italy on this trip am I?  _

Breakfast actually turns into lunch because Steve comes back from the bakery smelling like fresh bread so of course, Sharon has to jump on him the minute he comes back.

Then they take a shower together. And Steve is clearly the logical one in this rela-  _ whatever this is _ , because he says he doesn’t want to fall and die on the slippery old tiles. 

He does, however, wash her hair and rub her back and neck. Which is equally good. 

By the time their antics have cooled it’s almost evening and they’re both lounging on the small sofa. 

It’s a little small for Steve and the arm of the sofa is probably going to give him a crick in his neck but he doesn’t really want to let Sharon move. 

And Sharon's all too happy to lie curled up against him in a particularly soft, worn t-shirt that smells like soap and Steve that he’s never getting back. 

She’s drawing one finger over the lines of his abs when she says. “I used to have a crush on you know?” 

“Really?” Steve sounds so surprised she has to raise her head to look at him. "When you were 12?"

She crosses her arms on his chest and rests her chin on them. “Oh, I had it pretty bad. And I was 15!” 

Steve turns an adorable shade of pink. “I really wasn’t looking at you like that back then.” 

Sharon smiled and raises herself up a little, shifting so she can sit on his thighs. “You wouldn’t. You were too good a guy. Which of course made me want you even more.” 

But Steve isn’t smiling anymore, in fact, there’s a frown, marring his features. 

“Hey,” Sharon asks drawing him up so their chests are pressed together and she can hold him close. “What’s that look for?” 

“I’m not the same guy, Sharon.” He says heavily. “I- I don’t think I have been for a long time. Not since that op in Baghdad.” 

And there it is. Sharon realises. The reason why he’s hiding out in Italy and hasn’t been back stateside for a while. 

“Hey”, she says gently, kissing his mouth and each cheek. “I like who you are now.” 

Steve responds by burrowing his face in her shoulder and making a small grumbling noise.

“I do!” Sharon says, wrapping both arms around his shoulder and starting to rock him a little. 

“You barely know me.”

“I know enough.” 

“Like what?”

“Like...you’re  _ great  _ in bed.” 

That makes Steve laugh, shoulders shaking under her palms. 

“And you’re a good photographer.”

“You haven’t even seen my photos,” Steve says, drawing back with a small pout. “That was just a trick to sleep with me.”

“I can tell!” Sharon says grasping his shoulders, “You’re a goddamn overachiever. Now show me those photos so I can prove it to you. Before we get distracted by more sex.”

So Steve puts on a pair of boxers and goes to grab his laptop from his bedroom. 

Sharon goes through about ten of his photos. They’re mostly portraits of families and other people out on the streets. There’s one particular photo of this back alley of a restaurant. There’s an exhausted-looking guy in an apron with a cigarette dangling from his fingertips. 

It’s lovely. 

He’s hovering a little nervously over her shoulder so she turns to give him a little kiss. 

“Well?”

“Like I said,” Sharon says, giving him another little peck. “You’re an overachiever.”

Another kiss. This one longer, sweeter and more lingering, but Steve draws back with a laugh when Sharon’s stomach lets out a loud rumble. 

“Come on,” he says standing up and pulling her from the couch with him. “Let’s go out. get something to eat.”

“Okay, but I’ll need to borrow some clothes or at least try to get a fresh set from my hotel.”

“I actually have some stuff for you,”Steve says grabbing a paper bag from beside the door. 

There’s a soft blue sundress that’s about her size, a pack of plain white panties, a toothbrush and some very girly soap. 

The surprise must show on her face because he immediately starts babbling. 

“I didn’t-I mean I hope this isn’t weird or anything. I just thought you might want-” He’s so cute Sharon has to shut him up with a kiss. 

“Thank you.” She breathes against his mouth. 

Steve takes her to a small restaurant full of locals down the street. The hostess seems to know him because she immediately smiles at him and directs them to a small table in the corner. 

“I eat here a lot,” Steve confesses. “I can’t really cook.”

“Why don’t you order for me?”

“You’re sure?”

“Go nuts.”

Sharon has a chance to look at her phone while Steve peruses the menu. There’s a text from her father telling her to enjoy herself in Italy and a gif of Eric blowing her a kiss. They hadn’t stayed at the same hotel otherwise they might have tried to meet her before leaving. 

There’s a slightly lewd set of emojis from Peggy which she can’t decide is inappropriate or hilarious.

And another text from Nat.  _ Hey! How was the wedding? _

Sharon glances up at Steve. He’s busy trying to communicate in decent but still very broken Italian to a young waiter who is furiously taking down his order. So he doesn’t notice her take a discreet photo of him and send it off to Nat. 

The reply is immediate. 

_ Nice! Italian? _

_ American actually.  _

_ Ooh! So boyfriend possibilities? What’s his name? _

_ Steve. _

_ Huh! Weird, you know he kinda looks like that guy we used to perv on who was dating your aunt. What was his name again? _

_ Steve.  _

There’s a pause for a moment. And then…

_ Sharon, no! That is not your aunt’s old boyfriend! Call me back, bitch! _

_ I can’t because I'm in the middle of dinner. And I’ve kind of been on a date with him since yesterday at the wedding.  _

_ Oh my God! Tell me You did not hook up with your aunt’s old boyfriend! You never tell me anything! _

_ I couldn't. I was kinda busy. _

_ You text me even if you’re mid-coitus! How did this happen? _

_ Long story. I’ll call you tomorrow.  _

_ You better! _

She pockets her phone in time to find Steve reaching across the table for her hand. 

She links their fingers without conscious thought.

Dinner is delicious. Steve is also a bit of a lightweight because two glasses of wine make him chatty and affectionate.

he won’t stop touching her. Rubbing her knuckles with his thumb or touching the skin on her arms. And at one memorable point at dinner when Sharon is telling him about an incident at work he slips one hand under the small table,  _ under her dress,  _ and squeezes her thigh. 

Sharon barely resists kicking and rattling the table in surprise. 

She gives him a look instead. “ You trying to start something Cap?” 

Pink tinges his cheeks but he doesn’t surrender her thigh. “I’m sorry. But you’re very pretty and I kind of want to take that dress off with my teeth.” 

Sharon’s brain sort of short circuits. For a minute her mouth works but no sound comes out.

Steve smiles sheepishly, “Was that too much?”

Sharon is still staring at him so he goes on.

“It’s been a while,” Steve confesses. “I’ve probably forgotten how to behave around women.” 

“How long is a while?” Sharon asks. 

“Three, maybe four years”, he says with a small laugh. “I don’t know. It’s been kinda rough and I mean there hasn’t been anyone I’ve been  _ really  _ interested in.” 

Sharon immediately perks up, 

“ _ Really interested,  _ huh?” She says, making him duck his head in embarrassment. 

“I would think that was obvious”, Steve says leaning back in his chair. 

“That’s a relief actually”, Sharon says. “Stops me from thinking you’re just trying to work out some frustrations with a girl you met at the wedding of the  _ one that got away.”  _

Steve’s brow furrows in immediate concern. And it’s Sharon’s turn to be embarrassed. 

“Is that what you’ve been thinking?”

“You were pretty in love with, Peggy,” Sharon says, not even sure why she’s going down this road. 

“I was,” Steve says. “But that was years ago and definitely in the past. if I was still in love with her I wouldn’t have been able to go to her wedding.” 

Sharon nods suitable chastised. Steve is not that kind of guy. 

“Also,” He goes on. “You haven’t actually told me if you’re interested in  _ me  _ or even if  _ you’re  _ single. How do I know there isn’t some poor guy getting cheated on  _ a lot  _ back in the states.” 

His indignation makes Sharon laugh. “There isn’t anyone else and of course I’m interested in you. I’ve been interested in you for years.” 

And then she has no idea what possesses her to say it but…

“I mean I’ve had like  _ quite a few  _ of wet dreams about you. Is that the kind of admission you want?” 

“What kind of wet dreams?” Steve says lowly, the hand on her thigh moving marginally higher 

And this time Sharon does kick the table a little. 

_ Oh okay. So this is happening huh? _

“Actually I’ve got a better idea”, Steve says making small circles on her thigh with his thumb, blistering heat in the blue of his eyes. “Why don’t we go back home and you can show me.” 

How They manage to make it back to the apartment Sharon can’t quite figure out. Her nibbling his earlobe while he tries to open the damn lock doesn’t help. 

They don’t even make it to the bed, or even completely naked. They’re both so wound up Steve just fists her panties over her hip and rips the thin cotton before dragging her into his lap on the sofa. 

His pants are already undone and it only takes a minimum of manoeuvring to line him up and thrust inside her. 

Then he’s dragging her forehead against his; eyes heavy on hers. The two of them move together until Steve makes the sexiest noise Sharon’s ever heard and she can't help but chase the lightning with him. 

It takes a minute for them to settle. And Sharon is so limp afterwards that she can barely raise her hands when Steve removes her dress. 

But she isn’t too far gone to enjoy watching Steve get fully undressed after he carries her to bed and lays her against the pillows. 

She holds her arms out for him when he crawls onto the bed so he can lay his head against her shoulder.

“I need to go back to my hotel at some point,” Sharon says, as Steve nuzzles her collarbone and one of his big palms covers her ribs. 

“When are you planning on going to Venice?” He sounds too casual and Sharon kisses the top of his head with a small smile. 

“Why don’t you come with me?” She suggests raising one hand to stroke through his hair. 

Steve makes a small noise of agreement and she can feel his long eyelashes flutter against her skin. His breath is making her nipples tighten but she doesn’t have the energy to go another round. “I don’t have work lined up this week.” 

Sharon has to resist letting out a little squee, settling instead for petting his back and shoulders. She can tell from the way he’s going lax against her that he’s about to fall asleep. 

“Steve?” 

“Hmm?” 

“You’re adorable.” 

“So are you.” 

Steve comes to the hotel with Sharon the next morning and raises one eyebrow at the mess that it is. 

His own apartment while small is spartan in its neatness. 

“Still want to spend time with me in a tiny room for a whole week?” She teases as he helps her pack.

The smile on his face makes him look so handsome Sharon wants to toss him on the bed. “Enh, not really. But sex helps.” 

Sharon agrees. But watching him bend and pick up clothes strewn over the floor is a close second to the sex itself. His ass is spectacular. 

They take a cab back to his apartment after checking out and Sharon enjoys watching him flex while he carries her suitcases up the stairs. 

“Do you have any particular reservations in Venice?” Steve asks when they sit down to breakfast- pancakes. The only thing Steve can actually make. 

“Well I was supposed to make reservations yesterday”, Sharon smirks “But you know how that went.” 

Steve points a fork at her, “Don’t try to be cute. You’re really sloppy about making plans.” 

“Well, then why don’t you plan it then? You seem like you like planning stuff.” 

“You could stay in Azzano a little longer,” Steve suggests. “There’s a lot of history here.” 

Sharon nods eagerly. Steve’s suggestion sounds very good. 

But then Steve could probably suggest that they go skinny dipping in a pool of lava and it’d probably sound good to her.

They end up having a really good time in Azzano staying at a bed and breakfast at a vineyard. 

They drink wine, eat pasta and Sharon mostly smiles at Steve while he’s bent over a sketchbook. Watching him relax is kind of soothing for her in some ways. 

She asks him about the op. And he answers her very honestly that his patriotism didn’t extend to letting the men in his unit die for a government cover-up. 

They take a bath together and Sharon has to bite her lip to keep from screaming while Steve cups her breast and lets his fingers tease her to warm shivery orgasm.

Afterwards, she tips her head back against his shoulder and breathes hard. He kisses her cheek, neck and shoulder then demand she turn around.

He’s so hard between her legs and Sharon is still so turned on. It takes nothing for him to slip inside. This time they come together. Shaking and breathless. 

Sharon kisses the top of his head and Steve nuzzles the skin between her breasts. 

“I’m so glad I went to that wedding,” Steve says, making her smile. There’s a warmth behind that statement that Sharon doesn’t need to understand to appreciate. 

They’re lounging on the pillows in big fluffy hotel robes facing one another when Steve tells her he doesn’t have any family left. He looks so sad when he says it that Sharon’s heart breaks a little. 

“You should come back to the States,” she says pressing one hand to his cheek. “You’ve got friends. Peggy, Daniel...” 

_ You have me,  _ she wants to add. 

He kisses the heel of her palm absently. “I don’t know if I can Sharon.”

“Sure you can,” Sharon cuddles closer so their legs can tangle together. “You’re a tough soldier. I mean I think this whole sensitive artist thing is sexy, too. But you’re strong enough to come home.”

Steve is smiling now. “And what am I going to do when I come home?”

“Oh really boring things,” Sharon says sliding her hands inside his robe to stroke the skin of his stomach. “Get a job. Go to the movies. Eat subpar Italian food.”

His eyes sparkle at her in a way that makes Sharon's belly quiver. “I’ll think about it.”

The rest of the week seems to fly by. Steve takes lots of photos. Some of the Italian countryside. Mostly of her. At one point on a train between Azzano and Venice he offers to hold a little curly-haired baby for a very harried mother who’s having trouble answering her phone and Sharon swears that the sight of him holding that little baby is making her ovulate. 

But mostly they have a lot of sex. The really good kind where Sharon’s mind is completely wiped of all coherent thought after and the restless feeling she’s always carrying in her chest disappears for a few hours. 

She doesn’t keep asking Steve to come home. This is something he needs to do for himself, not her. She wants him badly but can’t possibly burden him just yet with how  _ much  _ she wants him.

So as much as it aches to lie beside him each night getting closer to the end of her trip thinking she might never see him again Sharon doesn’t beg him to come with her. 

She’s a big girl. She can live without him. 

She doesn't _want_ to. 

But she can. 

She's a tough guy too. 

She could theoretically, spend their last night in Italy together moping, but decides she’d rather give him something memorable instead. They’ve been walking past a particularly nice little restaurant close to the hotel that they’ve been saving for their last night. 

In spite of Steve’s pouting she sort of ditches him for a couple of hours at the spa for a massage and a blowout. When she comes back Steve has already gone ahead to the restaurant, per her request, and the room is empty. 

Which gives her about half an hour to slip into the most indecently short sleeveless black dress she owns, something she’d never wear at home. 

She should be morose about leaving Steve the next morning, but making the short walk on the Venetian streets in the cool evening air the only thing she can think is that she’s in a gorgeous city with a man she’s been crazy about since she was a teenager. 

What is there to even be morose about? It’s every girl’s fantasy come to life.

When she reaches the restaurant Sharon can see Steve waiting at a table for her from a glass pane. He’s scribbling something on a napkin and doesn’t notice her watching him. He only looks up when the hostess brings her to the table.

The look on his face is well worth bugging him to leave earlier. 

“Jesus,” he says standing up to greet her. “Where’s the rest of this dress?”

Sharon gives him a little pout. “Too much.”

“Yes,” Steve says seriously. “It is too much. How am I supposed to eat dinner with you sitting across from me looking like that?” 

He pulls out a chair for her and gives her a kiss on the underside of her jaw that makes the hairs on her arms and legs stand up. 

Dinner is lovely. Steve licks pasta sauce off his thumb at one point and Sharon swears she feels the action somewhere between her legs. 

After dinner they get gelato and wander the streets a bit. They don’t talk about tomorrow. They don't talk about anything really. 

Sharon can’t resist kissing him in the elevator on the way up to their hotel room and something about this time makes her tremble. 

“Hey?” Steve says, drawing back brows furrowed. “What’s that look for?”

“Nothing.” Sharon shakes her head as she stands on her tiptoes for another kiss. 

“Nothing?”Steve doesn’t look convinced, but he kisses her again anyway.

They fumble their way inside the hotel room and Steve carries her to bed immediately. 

The heat in his gaze makes Sharon’s fingers clench in the duvet. He takes his time though. Bending to remove the straps of her high heeled pumps, pressing his thumbs into the arches of her feet, rubbing her feet and calves with his big hands that never fail to make her feel safe. 

This time with Steve is going to have to tide her over for a while. 

When he’s inside her He calls her baby and sweetheart and Sharon swears she clenches tight and hot around him simply from the low rich timbre of his voice alone. 

Afterwards he cups the back of her neck like how he did that first night and holds her close. 

“Stay,” he says in a voice just shy of begging. “Just for a little while longer.” 

“Really?” Sharon asks, rubbing her legs against his “how much longer?” 

“A week,” Steve says before kissing her hard. “A month. I don’t care how much longer just...stay. Please?” 

“I’ll think about it,” Sharon finds herself nodding against his chest. 

She dozes off almost immediately but Steve doesn’t sleep. 

He can’t. 

They have breakfast very quietly the next morning. And Steve accompanies her wordlessly to the airport. 

“I had a really good ti-” Steve begins lamely when she pushes two fingers against his mouth and shushes him. 

“Don’t,” She says and _oh my god_ her throat hurts. “Don’t say anything. Let’s just admit the timing was really shitty, okay?”

“Yes,” Steve says taking her in his arms and dipping his head to kiss her. “It was really shitty.”

This airport is probably filled with couples like them. Vacation flings coming to an end, but Sharon can’t think of him that way. Steve is the kind of guy you take home to your parents. Or at least he could be that guy. Someday. 

For some other woman, maybe. 

When she walks away from him without actually saying goodbye she feels like she’s dying a little inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lady Antebellum is getting updated SOON!  
> One last epilogue for this story! Happy endings only!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I present the end boys and girls! Love to you all!

Chapter 5 

Sharon doesn’t cry on the flight home. In fact she spends most of it sleeping. By the time she’s landed at JFK, her phone starts ringing. There’s a case that needs attention and they need to move now if they want to talk to the judge. 

She sighs wistfully in the back of the cab on the way to her apartment. She doesn’t even have time to  _ think _ too hard about Steve. She needs to get back home, get dressed and get back to work. 

Nat is at the desk opposite hers buried in paperwork and in the middle of a call. She mouths a quick hi to her and immediately hands her a folder. Business as usual. 

The rest of the week is a combination of late nights and early mornings. It’s not until the weekend that she and Nat have a chance to grab dinner and catch up. 

Chinese, of course. Sharon doesn’t have the heart to eat at the usual Italian place. 

“You never did call me back,” Nat points her chopsticks at her. “I demand the details.”

“There’s not much to say,” Sharon says with a little smile. “It sort of just happened.”

“You guys stay together the entire trip?”Nat asks knowingly and Sharon can only nod in response. 

“Have you been in touch with him?” 

Sharon feels her shoulders deflate a little. “No, and I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Nat smirks. “Just pick up the phone and text him. I can tell you want to.”

But Sharon doesn’t want to text him. 

She wants  _ him  _ to call  _ her _ . To come after her. Show up at her door in the middle of the night and beg her to take him back. 

But she doesn’t tell Nat that. She can’t. 

“I think it might’ve just been sex.” She finds herself saying. The words sounding foreign to her own ears. 

Nat’s face takes on a look of concern. “Share, that doesn’t sound like you.”

Sharon can only shrug a little. 

The next six weeks are another slow, painful grind. Sharon and Nat drink coffee like addicts take cocaine. She’s working so hard she occasionally feels nauseated and cranky. 

She’s aware, vaguely, in the back of her mind that she’s using work as a distraction not to think about Steve. 

Then when the case ends Sharon has, by some miracle, the Sunday off. She cleans out her apartment. She’s looking for a receipt in some of her purses when a small white napkin floats to the floor from her favourite black purse...the one she’d taken to the restaurant in Venice. 

She can’t breathe. 

She sinks to the floor and unfolds it with shaky hands. She must’ve tucked it into her purse before leaving. 

There’s a small sketch of a woman with long hair on the napkin. 

It’s her. It’s a picture of her. 

Suddenly all she can picture is Steve bent over that table waiting for her. God, she doesn’t even know what he’s doing right now. 

She’s never going to see him again!

She’s going to spend the rest of her life pining for him and-

She feels a sudden wave of nausea and immediately rushes to the bathroom. 

She manages puke merrily for a few minutes and then leans heavily against the porcelain squinting at a blank calendar on the back of her bathroom door. 

It’s blank. 

This month’s calendar is blank. 

Where’s her period? She hasn’t had her period this month! 

She dials Nat frantically. All the while reliving the times she’d been with Steve. And thinking about whether they’d ever forgotten a condom. 

Nat shows up with ginger ale and a freaked-out expression. 

Sharon just lets her into the room, twists the cap off the gallon jug that Nat hands her and takes a long swallow. 

“That last night we were in Venice,” She tells Nat quickly. “I think we forgot the condom.”

Nat’s eyes are like saucers. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am!” Sharon’s crying a little now. “What am I going to do?”

“You’re not even sure if you’re pregnant,” Nat says calmly. “We’ll get a test, we'll figure it out.”

“I don’t want Steve to know.”

“Why the fuck not!”

“Because he’s a fucking Disney prince okay.” Sharon groans. “He’d want to keep it and get married. Ugh.”

Nat stares at her blankly. “Okay a) A Disney Prince wouldn't have knocked you up because they don’t have penises And b) how is this a problem? I know you’ve been dying to contact him. At least now you have a reason to- Hey! Don’t show me the finger!”

Sharon lowers her hand. “I don’t want him knowing if I’m pregnant because I think I might be in love with him and if he showed up here just because of some baby I’d never know for sure if he really loved me or was doing this out of a sense of duty.”

Nat looks so done with her. Done and disappointed. She probably wants to throttle Sharon. 

She’s so glad Nat’s here. 

Eventually, they decide Sharon is not in any fit state to take a pregnancy test. They’re going to watch a movie. They Get some take out for lunch and then try to decide what to do. 

They’re contemplating a trip to the pharmacy just before dinner when the doorbell rings. Sharon hopes it's not her parents. She can’t take her parents right now. 

It turns out it’s a lot worse than her parents though. 

There’s a blonde, square-jawed pin-up for girls standing outside her door with a small sheepish smile. 

“Hi,” says Steve. 

“Hi,” says Sharon.

“ _ Motherfucker _ !” says Nat standing behind her, jolting them both to the realisation that they’re not alone. 

Sharon wordlessly lets Steve into her apartment. When he walks past her she notices he’s shaved and is wearing a nice shirt. He also smells really good. 

Sharon’s not even sure if she’s brushed her teeth after puking earlier. 

“This is Natasha,” Sharon says lamely. 

“This must be  _ Steve,” _ Natasha says, a wry smirk on her face. 

“What’re you doing here?” Sharon says immediately to Steve, making his eyes snap to hers. 

“I-I’ve been back a while and I wanted to see you.”

“A while?” Sharon squints at him. “What does that mean?”

Steve makes an embarrassed face. “A month?”

“A month!”

“Okay!” Nat says suddenly and Sharon notices she’s already begun gathering her coat and purse. “Now that your boyfriend is here. I’m going to make myself scarce-no! No! I’m outta here! Work this shit out!” Nat says shutting the door behind her when Sharon tries to protest. 

When Sharon turns around Steve is looking at her with a sweet hopeful look on his face. 

She wants to punch him in his perfect teeth. 

“Did you miss me?”

“Shut up!” She snaps leaning against the door. “What’re you doing here  _ now?  _ Did you get lonely and just want a booty call.”

“Sharon it’s not like that,” Steve steps closer but doesn’t touch here. “I wanted to come after you. But after you left I didn’t just miss you I started realising how homesick I was.”

The fight goes out of her a little at that admission. “Why didn’t you let me know you were here?”

“I needed to get a job and a place to live,” Steve says sheepishly. “I didn’t think you’d want you thinking I was a hopeless loser.”

“You’re not a loser,” Sharon says reaching out and taking his hand in hers. “And I’m not actually mad at you, I've just been having a really rough day.”

“Oh?” Steve rubs the knuckles of the hand he’s holding. “Want to tell me about it?”

Sharon just stares at him. She can’t believe he’s here. 

This is what she’s wanted. But he’s only said he’s missed her. 

He hasn’t said he loves her. Hasn’t begged on his knees for her to forgive him for not calling her for weeks. 

When did she get so needy?

Still she can’t help reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck and Steve hugs her back. 

“You’re all I thought about.” He says drawing back to look at her, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. 

Sharon reaches up to touch his jaw. “I kind of miss the scruff,” she says smiling a little. “But this is good too.”

Steve is leaning forward to kiss her cheek, which is sweet but then his mouth is smoothing along that same cheek and touching the corner of hers. 

_ Oh, who am I kidding  _ Sharon thinks opening her mouth to his, fingers digging into his back. 

“I’m so glad you aren’t pissed at me,” Steve says into the skin of her shoulder after he’s sexed her into a limp, boneless mess. 

She’s completely mindless until one big hand smooths over her stomach. 

_ Uh oh.  _

She might be pregnant. She totally forgot about that part. 

She’s glad she has her back to him so he can’t see the chagrined look on her face. 

“Steve?” 

“Hmm?” He sounds half asleep. 

“I need to step out of the apartment for a little bit.”

Steve kisses the back of her neck making her shiver. “But I don’t want you to go anywhere,” he says drawing her tighter against him and making Sharon feel weak with longing again. “I want you to stay here so I can hold you.”

“Steve,” she says again, a note of urgency in her voice. “I really  _ really  _ need to go.”

He shifts a little so they’re facing one another. “What’s wrong?” he asks. “And you seemed worried earlier.”

God he’s so gorgeous lying naked beside her. 

Sharon swallows hard. She can’t tell him!

She can’t! 

Can she?

“Well, the thing is,” she starts. “The thing is I’ve kind of ...missed my period.”

For a minute Steve just stares at her. Then he puts a hand over his mouth and Sharon can see he’s shaking a little bit. 

_ Oh my God, he’s having a nervous breakdown.  _ She thinks. 

When he lowers his hand Sharon can see he’s not freaking out at all. He’s smiling and trying not to laugh. 

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” he says sitting up and wrapping his arms around his knees. “I thought you were on birth control.”

“And you forgot the condom a couple of times,” Sharon sits up with an indignant little squeak. “And that was new birth control I was on. I’m not sure if it had started working or not.”

“Hey,” he says, reaching out to touch her arm. “I’m not blaming you. I’m just surprised. If you are pregnant-”

“No! No!” Sharon shakes her head. “Don’t you say it. I’m not ready for this! I’m too young. I don’t make enough money…”

She’s listing a million ‘nos’ when Steve pulls her against himself. “We’ll do whatever you want.” He kisses her shoulder. “You’re the boss.”

They get dressed quietly and make a trip to the pharmacy and bring the test back to Sharon’s apartment. 

Sharon glares at him when he tries to follow her into the bathroom. 

“ _ Do you mind?” _

“Come on I want to know how this works. I’m trying to be supportive.”

“I pee on a stick, Steve! I don’t need support for that.” 

But He’s persistent and Sharon has to let him in. He does agree not to look at her while she pees though. 

Then she puts the test down on the counter and brackets her arms beside it. 

“Now what?” Steve says hovering over her shoulder. “We wait?”

Sharon nods not looking up at him. “We wait.”

The minute drags on forever. and the little indicator slowly takes on a colour in the shape of the result. 

It’s negative. 

_ Huh. I’m not pregnant.  _

She’s vaguely aware of Steve clutching her shaking body against his chest, stroking her hair and asking if she’s okay.

“I’m fine,” Sharon says, burying her face in his shoulder. 

There’s a strange mess of emotions inside of her that isn’t entirely relief. 

“Want me to stay over?”

“Please,” she says shakily. 

Steve doesn’t have to work until Monday. He’s got a job at a photography studio, the hippie. 

Sharon actually gets her period Sunday evening and her and Steve laugh nervously over their shared near miss. 

“We’re not ready,” he says, kissing her cheek when she crawls into his arms on the couch. 

Sharon gives him a funny look. “Why are you assuming that I’ll let you impregnate me at some point.”

“Not some point,” Steve says firmly. “I love you and we have a lot of sex. It’s going to happen. Preferably after we’ve been married or I’ve proposed at least. And any babies we have are going to be so stinking cute.”

Sharon squints at him with a little smile. “Did you just say you love me?”

“I did,” Steve lifts her like she weighs nothing and draws her into his lap so she’s straddling his thighs. “This is the part where you say it back.”

Sharon just smirks at him. 

But, of course, she says it back...eventually. 

_ An Epilogue: A Year Later _

Steve is hiding behind her at his own show. It’s adorable. And a little embarrassing. 

They’re at a gallery showing for a few other urban photographers in Brooklyn. All the others are in their early 20s and Sharon has teased him relentlessly for being a 39-year-old hipster. 

“Steve,” she says calmly, sipping on her glass of white wine. “Quit being such a wuss. These people are admiring your work.”

“They’re making me nervous. Some of their questions are even about the photographs.”

“That’s because they’re flirting with you, Honey,” Sharon says, reaching up to stroke one stunned cheek. 

“Aren’t you going to defend my honour?”

“Why?” she says mischievously turning to face him and grasping the lapels of his jacket, “I mean who can blame them really.”

“Are  _ you _ flirting with me?” he says turning a little pink. 

“Is it working?”

“Well yeah,” He says. “Of course it is. When does it not?”

She laughs and kisses his cheek, settling against his side with one arm wrapped around his waist. 

Steve smooths one hand over the material of her short black dress from her ribs to the top of her waist. 

There are a few young guys sneaking past them discreetly glancing at her legs every now and then. 

It’s a good thing he’s got the ring in his pocket. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u, everyone. It means so much to complete my first story on this site.

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a short fic. Maybe two or three chapters.


End file.
